Russia – Not just oil and gas export

Europe gets its first modern Russian-made airliners

United Aircraft Corporation says the first Russian Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ100) plane has been delivered to its inaugural European customer Irish airline CityJet.

Under the $1 billion contract, CityJet will lease 15 SSJ100 airplanes with an option for an additional 16 aircraft. The Irish airline will receive three aircraft in 2016, and the rest from 2017 onward

The 98-seat SSJ100 has been developed by the Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company. It is an advanced and cost-effective commercial aircraft which can operate on short-to-medium range routes. It has a range of 4,500 kilometers.

Sukhoi is currently negotiating with the Egyptian airline EgyptAir to supply up to 40 SSJ100 aircraft. According to media reports, Danish airline Greenland Express is also in talks with Sukhoi to buy five Superjet planes.

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Sukhoi will provide CityJet with technical support through a 12-year service agreement.

“The delivery of our first SSJ100 is an important milestone for CityJet as we begin our fleet renewal program. This is a fantastic aircraft and we look forward to introducing our customers to its high level of comfort and efficiency in the coming years,”said Pat Byrne, Executive Chairman of CityJet.

The Sukhoi Superjet 100, (Russian: Сухой Суперджет 100) is a modern fly-by-wiretwin-engineregional jet with 8 (VIP) to 108 (all economy) passenger seats. With development initiated in 2000, the airliner was designed and spearheaded by Sukhoi, a division of the Russian civil aerospace company (UAC), in co-operation with several foreign partners. Its maiden flight was conducted on 19 May 2008. On 21 April 2011, the Superjet 100 undertook its first commercial passenger flight, on the Armavia route from Yerevan to Moscow.

Designed to compete internationally with its An-148, Embraer and Bombardier counterparts, the Superjet 100 claims substantially lower operating costs, at a lower purchase price of $35 million.

Fly-by-wire: first time at regional jet Crew-centered design featuring intuitive controls designed with the pilot in mind. The SSJ100 is the first 100-seat jet with a full fly-by-wire (FBW) system, designed to optimize handling, reduce flight crew workload, and maximize fuel efficiency.